Perfect Sense
by Chii.Alyssa
Summary: For everything he could not understand, there is another that he knew crystal-clearly. Minor spoilers for Season 5, episodes 22 to Season 6, episode 4. 700 words. Very tiny slash hints, HardyBoys, don't like don't read.


**Perfect Sense**

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**Disclaimer:** Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS), Anthony E. Zuiker, Carol Mendelsohn and Ann Donahue owns CSI:Miami and all the things that came along with it. I don't own anything CSI:Miami-related. Conclusion? You-No-Sue.

**A/N:** I had the sudden inspiration for this when I randomly recalled the ending of Season6 Episode4 during a much, much later episode. My mind works in a very strange way.

_View my complete works at my website, accessible through my user profile._

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He stalked out of the bar, threw himself into the driver's seat of his _Hummer_ and slammed the door closed. Two quick breaths and a longer, deeper one later, he deemed himself stable enough to do something other than holding the steering wheel in a death grip.

Flipping open his cell phone, he selected the unread message and typed a quick reply, _'Am still coming over like we planned. See u in a while.'_

He was just sending it out when his equally flustered colleague climbed in the front passenger's seat. An understanding passed between them without needing to speak, and he started the engine.

"He said he wanted to see who Speed really is," Calleigh's southern drawl deepened in anger, her voice startlingly loud in the soundless vehicle. "We've talked so much about him- so many good things about him. Dan got curious and... it all spiraled."

She was not making up excuses for the person who had them so worked up. She knew he needed to know why. _Habits of the job,_ he snorted inwardly.

They drove on in silence, while the lack of noise brought forward other thoughts. Why did Cooper have to commit fraud with their dead friend's credit card? Even Ryan did not stoop to that level.

Their newest team member had suffered- and survived- the brunt of the team's attitude when they mourned the loss of Timothy Speedle back then. It had definitely been worse and more damaging than what the lab tech had gotten, considering he only heard _stories_ about Tim.

And of course, all the times he himself had laid it on Ryan, clearly showing displeasure that some skinny brat from patrol was taking his best friend's place. The shorter man had fought back, just as hard, to prove his own worth rather than about being good enough to fill in someone else's shoes. Not once, did he disrespect the memory of their fallen friend.

Although they had gotten over their differences long ago, he recognized (yet again) how unfair he had treated him those few years back. Sure, Ryan always gave him an opening by not stepping down, but he was not the one who almost always looked for a petty fight to pick.

Relief and respect flooded through his tired mind when he now understood that Ryan could have retaliated in the most hurtful way possible, but did not. He was certainly glad that it meant one less bump in their already rocky history.

They made a stop at lab, and he watched Calleigh leave to pick up her car. After waving goodbye, he pulled out his cell phone and had his thumb hovering over the speed dial for only a second before snapping it shut and stuffing it back in his pocket. He needed to have familiar comfort right now. They could talk later.

Finally reaching his destination, he took the brief elevator ride up, brisk walked to the right apartment door and got inside, all in record time.

The person on the couch barely even reacted when he collapsed onto it, leaning back against the side of that warm body.

"Shift was over long ago."

"Cal and I had to take care of something."

"Nothing against protocol, I hope. Or it's going to take the whole lab instead of two people to process one person next time."

Eric closed his eyes and smiled at the deadpanned voice. "You'll be back soon."

"Funny, that's what I tell myself every morning to get me through the day."

The crisp sound of pages being turned filled the air for a long moment until the darker man interrupted, "Hey."

"Hmm?"

Releasing a sigh and greedily soaking up the heat from the body that he had his spine aligned to, Eric stated, "I'm glad you're you."

Ryan stopped his hand on the page in mid-flip and turned to raise an eyebrow at the dark head resting on his shoulder, "I'll pretend that made sense."

He gave no answer, but Eric's mind relaxed along with his grin as he pressed his back to the other man's side. Troubled as their history had been, at least it allowed Ryan to make perfect sense to him.

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_fin._

Completed 12 May 2008, 02:40 a.m.  
(Timestamped because I'm geeky that way)


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